Day Before the Grand Celebration 2

"So ridiculous. This might be the worst celebration that will happen in this country."

"I see that you're more infuriated than usual."

Back in the more active and alive streets of Reilaea kingdom, standing beside the busy road full of crowd, carts and such going left and right, Kaien and Edle continues to talk about the guests that will come to the celebration. Especially the one, who is Edle's step-sister, Celestine.

After seeing and mentioning the infuriating expression on Edle, Kaien asks him.

"Don't you want to see your little sister?"

"I don't have a sister! And I will never accept her or her father to be my family." Edle's tone changes as Kaien asks him about Celestine. Seeing him frowning even more as they kept on talking about the princess of Kruule, Kaien decided to leave it at that and tease Edle.

"I see. Then, if this may ease your mind, would you like to get to dance in the banquet hall together with the Adventurer - Christa?"

"Wha?!" His expression of disapproval was replaced in a rather shocked face, hearing such an idea to invite the girl that makes her face beet red in color. Meanwhile, Kaien continues to talk.

"...If so, I'll arrange some things and have her come to the palace at the night of the dance."

"D-Don't you dare do such a thing, Kaien!" Just as Kaien expected, Edle becomes flustered just by hearing Christa's name. After all, Edle have some kind of interest towards the girl mentioned which he knew. But aside from that, it helps Edle to forget their conversation about Celestine, which is what Kaien was trying to do.

"Are you sure? It's been a month since then, but you're not taking such actions towards her. This could be an opportunity..."

As Kaien continues to spit some encouraging words on Edle to overcome his overwhelming emotions that makes his serious personality into somewhat of a shy and easily flustered person, Edle began projecting the scenario of what Kaien tells him that would happen in the night of the celebration together with Christa.

"...A rare opportunity, in a glamorous birthday celebration, you will get to dance in front of the crowd in the middle of the banquet hall. Until to the point that you two ignore the people around you as if there's only you and her dancing in an elegant and romantic music. And under the shining silver moon and the charcoal black sky filled with glittering colors of the stars, your face reaches to hers as your lips inch closer and closer towards each other, and..."

As it reaches the point where they were about to do something that the two lovers do, the thought of Christa's lips touching his made him come back to his senses, he brushes off his imagination and quickly interrupts Kaien.

"That's enough!" Edle raised his voice on Kaien as if he's blowing strong wind with his mouth. The crowd walking down the streets also got shooked and stopped from moving as they all stare at him. And as he realized where they are right now, Edle apologizes to the people with his sudden raise of tone.

"Forgive me." After hearing his apology, the crowd simply goes away as if nothing happened. Although they all seem to be confused on what happened.

"You went way overboard, Kaien!" Edle spoke in a low and whispering tone.

"Forgive me. But don't you want it happen? It is a rare opportunity, after all. And I can really arrange it all."

"I-I..."

Kaien thought that if he encourages Edle that way, he might muster up the courage to show or tell Christa about what Edle thinks of her. But instead it has no effect at all, it makes his flustering issues go worse.

At that moment, as Edle was in the middle of picking the right words to answer Kaien, a knight of Reilaea kingdom appeared, seemingly came running in a hurry. The knight came to send a message.

"Sir Kaien, Prince Edle, thank goodness I found you two..."

"What's the matter?"

The knight catches his breath before he continues. "...The alchemist wants to make an audience with you two and the queen. It is regarding to the crystal you brought to her to study.

Their eyes widens as they heard a message coming from the alchemist who they entrust the crystals to study and find it's origin. Where did the crystals and the monsters come from? Was it summoned by someone's magic with great abilities or is it a race that came from a place that they never knew until now? Should they consider it a threat or is it just a species that is looking for a home after losing theirs.

Eager to learn the answer, to learn the truth about this mysterious objects, Kaien and Edle goes straight back into the palace without hesitation.

"Kaien, Let's go!"

"Yes!"

As the people of Reilaea doubles their efforts and gets more busy as the time of the celebration for the prince gets closer and closer, the people in the village of Eisvel who seemed to be in prepration for a party of their own has stopped their activities as they gaze upon on the black smoke that flies high from behind the mountain.

The villagers stare in wonder as to what could be happening to where the smoke is coming from. While Aina and the mayor thinks the same as the villagers, the thought that Christa is in such a dangerous situation troubles them as they all just saw her soaring through the sky, heading directly towards the source of the black cloud of smoke.

"Christa... What's happening over there?" Aina pressed her hand on her chest as the feeling of anxiousness gets to her and her restless throbbing heart.

In that moment, the black smoke that the villagers of Eisvel village reaches it's tail as the line of smoke coming from the mountains have dispersed, as if it got cut by a knife. The crowd watches the smoke from above as it fades away from the horizon.

And as it is done, it raises questions from the people, so is to Aina.

"It disappeared. Did Christa managed to do it?"

Just then, the voice of the mayor of Eisvel rang into her ears, talking to the rest of the villagers around the area.

"Those who don't have their hands full, follow me. The rest will stay and continue the preparations. Let's go!"

Following Mitou's lead, some of the villagers who are not occupied joins the mayor on their way towards the source of the smoke that disppeared just recently.

As they were about exit the village and cross the road, A voice calling the mayor's name has stopped Mitou from taking another step.

"Wait! Mayor Mitou!"

"Huh? Aina? What are you doing here?" Mitou said so with puzzled eyes. Aina then quickly answers the mayor, telling Mitou to allow her to come with them.

"Mayor Mitou, let me come with you!"

Mitou knows that there might be no time to stay for a long chatter as there are no information about what happened to the source of the smoke earlier. And so, she asked Aina if she could keep up to their pace and the possible danger of going to the place that serves as a nest for the beasts and monsters.

"Based on the direction and the size of the smoke coming from above, that smoke came from that dangerous forest - The Forest of No Return."

"The Forest of No Return...?"

"Yes. Do you still want to come? We don't have much time."

So as Mitou says so, there is not much time left, there's no telling if Christa managed to stop the cause of the smoke, or she encountered the wood cutters and got outnumbered. As she realized this, Aina fervently answers Mitou.

"I'm coming! I want to see Christa!"

"Then, don't lag us. Try to keep up and don't bring yourself to danger, Aina!"

"Yes!"

"Alright, let's go everyone!"

The mayor and the villagers, along with Aina immediately went on their way, following the long road between the green meadows towards the forest.

Meanwhile as they march forward to the forest that is home for the beasts and other creatures, on the northern side deep in the forest, the opposite side from where Christa arrived.

"Fire!"

Swordsmen, spearmen, spell casters and archers. With the man shouting the signal of the attack, the archers released the bows out of their grip, casters throws different kind of projectile magic, and the melee fighters charges on the attack against a certain enemy, the guardian of the forest of many creatures, the giant snake - Titania.

"Hard Scale." Titania casts her ability, a shield that forms and surrounds her body like a true scale of a snake.

The people charges in with their attacks, but thanks to her ability that protects her from projectiles and other attacks, Titania receives no harm.

"Impossible..."

"Is that giant snake's shield that impenetrable?!"

For quite some time now, this thing happens repeatedly. The humans use their powers to attack all at once, but Titania's strong "Hard Scale" ability keeps her to safety. What's more, her giant body surrounds the people in an area, keeping the forest from being accidentally getting damaged by the human's futile attacks.

As the wood cutters left without any option of fighting the giant snake, Titania uses her giant tail to take one of the humans, sending him flying away from the forest. She then began sneering over them.

"It's no use. No matter how many times you try, a normal and weak human will not inflict me damage." Titania continues scoffing over them as they continue their useless barrage of attacks. "Seriously, you guys could understand me, but why won't you listen and just leave the forest in peace?"

Titania grows impatient as she realized the smoke coming from the southern side of the forest have disappeared. And so she finally decided to take care of everyone.

"I don't have time to play anymore, I'll have you guys out of my home." As she was about to get everyone sent out of the forest by throwing them out with her enormous tail, a familiar voice stopped her from doing so.

"Titania!"

"Huh? Christa!"